Lies of Locke Lamora : Collector's Tenth Anniversary

Locke, you really are a little s***.And that’s why I like this book. It’s clever, it’s often very funny, and the world-building is excellent. I know there have been comparisons between Lynch and Patrick Rothfuss – the latter even addressed this in his review of this novel – but I genuinely think that’s wrong. Both authors are distinct in their own ways, and I enjoy both writers’ works immensely.That goes for The Lies of Locke Lamora. The chapters flip between present day Locke and interludes, where Locke is still a child, which gives the reader a nice insight into backstory. Initially I found the beginning of the novel difficult to get into, even considering putting it down, but I’m extremely glad I didn’t, for the sole reason that it very quickly turned into rip-roaring fun.Fun. That is the word I would probably use to describe this book. It reads almost like a film – and I dearly hope some skilled director brings it to life one day, because it would be fantastic. The characters are well fleshed-out, the details of world-building tight and many. Locke’s wit and sarcasm is right up my street, and he is a character I quickly came to adore and despair at when he got himself into scrapes – which, by the way, is often. Oh, my god is it often. Little s*** indeed. There is mischief and mayhem aplenty, and what a joy it was to read.Fantasy-lovers, if you have not yet read this book: WHY NOT? READ IT. READ. And then read the sequel, which I certainly plan to do.It is enchanting, riotously funny, and above all, epic. Honestly, I could not recommend this enough.

AmazonThank you for submitting a customer review.Thank you for submitting a customer review on Amazon. After carefully reviewing your submission, your review could not be posted to the website. While we appreciate your time and comments, reviews must adhere to the following guidelines:Amazon Community GuidelinesThe Lies of Locke Lamora ★★★★★ from Filipe P. on 12 March 2020a must readSeries: The Gentlemen Bastards sequence(#01)Author: Scott LynchContext: I do not really know where or how I got this book, which probably means I got it in a charity shop somewhere in the UK. I decided to push it to the top of the reading pile after I had finished The Name of the Wind from Pat Rothfuss' The Kingkiller Chronicle and I found online many voices singing this novel's praises. And while, generally, I am not the biggest pirate tale aficionado (which was what I thought the book was going to be like), the scores on platforms like GoodReads got the best of me. Thankfully they did.Ups: Characters. Oh, my days, Lynch's characters! Locke and Jean's relationship is stellar. And when you add the Sanza twins, Father Chains, Bug... The beginning is such a punch in the gut, and the ride never slows down. The city of Camorr feels very fleshed out like Lynch lived there his whole life and just decided to describe every single alleyway he strolled through over the years. I am a great fan of the Venetian/Renaissance Italy vibe chosen, which heightens the masquerade play Locke and the other Gentlemen Bastards star in. The plot is great, and I especially appreciate how it can go from bad to worse. Locke is very smart but he is not wise or particularly cunning. He has that Jack Sparrow swagger that gets him out of a sticky situation to place him in a direr one. The story feels like a rollercoaster, and I found myself yelling alongside the Bastards. Lynch's first novel is an amazing, amazing piece; as an aspiring author, reaching 1/10th of this greatness with a debut novel would be heavenly. Do yourself a favour and pick this one up.Downs: for some people, the descriptions might be too much. Yet, akin to Robert Jordan in his WOT, it's down to preference. You might get fed up with the details, but it is undeniable how colorful and theatrical of a painting Lynch paints.Grade: 9/10Review by Tales of Eyria

A great story full of fascinating characters in a well developed world. This book was recommended to me and I am thankful for that. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is because the glue binding on the book is very poor. On one read through the pages are coming loose and I don't mistreat my books. Great story, nice cover art, let down by poor quality book construction.

Along with the The Name of the Wind series, this is a consistent recommendation which I make to anyone who is looking for some fun, interesting and well-written fantasy fiction. Even people I know who prefer other genres have been won over by The Lies of Lock Lamora. It's an absolutely stunning story which instantly became one of my favorite all-time books.I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who hasn't read it. Also, there are 3 other books in the series (2 of which are already released) which continue the saga (and while they're not as good as this, they're still brilliant stories in of themselves).

This is not review for the novel (which id comfortably give 4 stars) - this is a review for the physical book I received.The binding for the first 100 and last 100 pages was so poor that pages started falling out as I was reading - and I was being particularly careful in how I held it etc as I noticed the binding early on. Maybe I just had some bad luck with my copy, but very poor for amazon/a large publisher such as Gollanzc.